Serie A has often been considered to be one of the strongest leagues in Europe. In the 1980s and 90s, it was the undisputed best league in the world. Many great players and teams have graced the Italian championship, and to win the scudetto (the Serie A title) carries great prestige.
The big three of Italian football – Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter – have won 74 out of the 121 league championship that have been contested. Alone, Juventus have won the majority of those Serie A titles, amassing 36 and leaving them 17 clear of each of their Milanese rivals.
Professionalism gave Juventus a platform to dominate Italian football
Although Juventus were formed in 1897 and the first Italian championship was disputed a year later, the Bianconeri did not participate until 1900. Juventus won their first Italian Serie A title in 1905, but the domestic game was dominated by Genoa and Pro Vercelli before professionalism was introduced in 1929.
It all changed for the Old Lady in 1923 though, when Edoardo Agnelli acquired the club and his descendants have owned Juve since. Their first golden era came in the 1930s, when they won five consecutive Serie A titles from 1931 to 1935, and stars like Giampiero Combi, Luis Monti, and Raimundo Orsi starred in Italy’s 1934 World Cup triumph.
Juventus accumulated domestic titles after the era known as Quinquennio d’Oro – ‘Five Golden Years’ in English – but they lived in the shadows of city rivals Torino in the aftermath of World War II. Since the Superga disaster in May 1949, Toro have not matched that period of dominance, whereas the Bianconeri have gone from strength to strength.
Further post-war success and the new millennium
Juventus became the first club in Italy to earn a golden star on their jersey after winning their 10th scudetto in 1957/58, and in the 1970s, they won five Serie A titles as well as their first European trophy, the 1976/77 UEFA Cup.
More success followed in the 1980s under coach Giovanni Trapattoni, earning the second gold star after winning their 20th scudetto in 1981/82, and there was further glory in Europe as well, such as the 1984/85 European Cup triumph.
Marcello Lippi won their first Serie A title in nine seasons when he took charge in 1994/95, and he would go on to win four more Italian titles in two spells at Juventus. The Bianconeri also found success on the European and world stage under the Tuscan tactician, winning the 1995/96 Champions League.
Since the turn of the millennium, Juventus have struggled for European glory, but their supremacy in the local game remains unmatched. From 2012 until 2020, La Vecchia Signora under Antonio Conte, then Massimiliano Allegri, and finally with Maurizio Sarri, built a dynasty that saw them win nine consecutive Italian league titles.
Why do Juventus claim to have won two more Serie A titles?
Juventus had two Serie A titles revoked from the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons due to their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. To this day, the club believes that for all the wrongdoings off the pitch, the squad should not have had their league trophies taken away from them.
When they won their 28th scudetto in 2011/12, the Old Lady proclaimed that it was their 30th, and banners went around saying, “Trenta sul campo,” which is Italian for, “Thirty [won] on the pitch.”
For this reason, official records will always show that Juventus have won two fewer Serie A titles than the Bianconeri themselves claim.
